I write this after a 2 week break from opinionating. A time in which I have experienced many new things. I can now bring these experiences to you all through my opinions and hopefully provide some good information about Florida and some of its attractions.

The first of my new opinions is regarding one of the main water parks in Orlando, Florida.

What is it Called?
WET 'N' WILD

Where is it in the world?
Like I said, it is in based in Orlando, Florida in South East USA.
For those of you that have been to Florida, you will probably know the name "International Drive". This is a road which is home to many of the popular hotels, dining restaurants and attractions in Orlando. It is right in the centre of everything and easy to find. Towards the Northern end of International drive is Wet N Wild.
You can see it before you arrive and will no doubt be bombarded by billboards and adverts on your way from the airport. The big bright Red, White and Blue sign is famous the world over.

What is it?
Well, it is a water park full of pools, slides and rides for all the family. Just about every type of aqua fun can be had here. From small children?s splash pools to severe, near vertical drop slides, to wave pools, to rubber ring rides.

How much is it?
This was staggeringly expensive. At $30 to get in, a typical family of 5 will pay $150 entrance fee. That is over £100 gust to step through the door. Ok, all of the attractions inside are free, but, that is still an expensive day trip to go swimming.
If you are planning on going more than once, like we did, you can buy an annual pass for $39.99. This gives unlimited entry for one year. Better value but still not great if you are on a 2 week vacation.

Car Parking?
Located directly ahead of the park is the parking for wet n wild. It requires the payment of $6 for the day and there is ample room for everyone. It is only a short walk to the park from there but requires crossing a busy road. A footbridge or similar access would be a good idea here.

What are the staff like?
Mainly young and school leaver age, the lifeguards seem very laid back in their attitudes. A smile every now and again may be nice too. However, you know that they are trained to the highest standard and your safety is their main concern.
The staff in the kiosks selling food and drink tend to be a bit bored which can be understood. They are also very hot on ID if buying alcohol. We were all over the legal age to drink (21) but 5 of us were under 30. We all constantly got asked for ID in most places which can be a bit annoying .

Changing facilities?
Large and roomy. No individual cubicles for the shy guys out there! Just one large room and poorly lit. There were showers and toilets in the facility too but felt it lacked any privacy. They were your typical large changing room.

Food pricing and availability.
Coming for a long day, you will need food and drink. The prices are very high so it may be worth bringing your own. A soft drink was about $3 and a beer nearer $5 with the taxes. A burger and fries seemed to the extent of the food but my wife also discovered a ?Salad Shaker? from one café/bar place. These were $4. There were Pretzels and Crisps available at most drinks outlets and they were in plentiful supply.
Quality? Well, they were edible but nothing to write home about. However, my wife raved about the salads.

Merchandise?
Well, everything in Florida is aimed at merchandise and this is no different. There were a few stores as you walked in that sold a range of ?Wet N Wild? merchandise and swimwear and even some designer surf wear. These were quite expensive and aimed at the tourists.

Safety?
As you come in, you are thoroughly searched by the security. All bags are checked for dangerous items and this is the same throughout Florida. At least you know that the park is safe.
As for children?s safety, Wet N Wild are using something very useful to all worried parents. A child locator. Like a wristwatch, a locator is given to the child to wear. A parent can then stop at one of the numerous locator points and enter their child?s locator number. It will then show exactly where in the park the child is. It is handy for both children and large parties who need to keep tabs on each other.
This is one of the big selling points for me at Wet N Wild.

What is there to do?
Well, there is something for everyone.
Right in the centre is a large Wave pool which turns into a tidal torrent every 15 minutes. It is gently sloped so all can play in it.
It is well watched by 4 lifeguards who warn you of an upcoming wave episode!

Next are the many ?individual? slides.
Firstly, and most scary are the vertical drop slides. There are 2 of these next to each other. One is called ?Der Stuka? and the other, ?Bomb Bay?
Firstly, is Der Stuka.
This is a very high slide that requires the rider to cross both arms and legs and lie straight back again the slide before hurtling downwards into a high speed fall. I found this a bit fierce and lead to some nasty bruising. This is watched at the bottom by a lifeguard who signals to the lifeguard at the top to let the next person go. A good safety scheme.

Next is the Bomb Bay.
Right nextdoor to Der Stuka is the bomb bay. The same height and dimensions as Der Stuka, Bomb Bay differs by dropping you from a stand up position! This is achieved by putting you above the slide in a sealed chamber. When you are ready, a button is pressed by the lifeguard and the floor drops away beneath you. You then plunge down the slide! Scary and not for those who fear confined spaces. Again it operates the 2 lifeguard safety scheme.

Not stopping there and below the 2 slides above are 2 racing tubes. These are completely sealed and you fly down them racing the person in the other slide. Good fun but a bit tame. This also operates the 2 lifeguard safety scheme.

One of the newest Rides at Wet N Wild is Storm. This is a high speed twisting and turning tube that jets a mist of fine water in the air as you travel down. You can?t see where you are going. You end up in a large bowl shaped cup at the bottom, which you fly around until you fall though the middle into a deep plunge pool. Can be very disorientating and a bit frightening. There is a height restriction on it too.

Right. Onto the multi person rides.
The laziest of these and one of the most fun is the Lazy river. Jump on a rubber ring (which you must hire) and float around a continuous circuit of water for as long as you like. The current is quite fast and swimming the other way against it is very hard. Just lie back and float all day.

The Black hole is a fast tube ride with 2 people sitting in a rubber boat. The tube is in complete darkness and you have no idea where you are going next. It is good fun.

The Bubba tub is a larger ring that seats 4 and is a large humped slide. As you hurtle over the bumps, you feel like you are going to fall out but it is very safe and even the smallest riders seem to like it.

For the children is the Bubble up, which is a climbing dome with water guns to shoot people with. Sounds grim but it looked good fun. This is just for kids though!
There is also the Kids park which is a themed play area which is well supervised and again looked good fun for younger guests.

It also is home to the first interactive water ride with the Hydra Fighter.
Riders are suspended from a large wire in a 2 seater car. The riders sit back to back and use water cannons to ?power? themselves?. Turning it on when swinging backwards and off when swinging forwards. This creates a pendulum effect and becomes good fun when it gets to a really good height.


Queue time?
No queues at all hardly. OK, it is November but it is still hot. The parks however seem less busy. You can see where the rides are designed to hold large queues but these are not present. Most of the thrill rides have 2 slides, such as Storm or the Black Hole yet only one was open at any time. This, combined with the small queues makes it seem even quieter but a great benefit to you. No queuing and more riding.


Enjoyment level?
Very high. With so many rides and pools, there is always something to do.
Even if members of your party want to sit in the shade and relax with a book, there is plenty of space to do so.
The thrill of the rides and relaxation of swimming is a great combination for anyone.

Overall?

A good day out with plenty to do. Good fun if very expensive. My tip is to get there early ( before 11am ) because even when it is quiet, the sun-lounges will all be occupied by midday. Use the child location device if you have children. It will allow you to relax and enjoy yourself more. Also, take some food and drink with you as it is expensive inside.

A good day out!

Recommended: Yes